Locking bracket for scaffolding brace bars



May 28, 1963 Filed Aug. 23, 1962 G. W- JACKSON LOCKING BRACKET FOR SCAFFOLDING BRACE BARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

May 28, 1963 LOCKING BRACKET FOR SCAFFOLDING BRACE BARS Filed Aug. 25, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [III/III!) IIIIII FIG. 5 I A ([{Ifl VIII/(Fi FIG. 6 26 FIG. 7 24 SECTION 7 7 G. w. JACKSON 3,091,485

ire rates The present application is a continuation in part of matter disclosed in a previous application, filed in the United States Patent Office under Serial Number 60,500, October 4, 1960.

The invention relates to brackets for use in scaffolding, and more particularly for attachment of brace bars to uprights in tubular and like scaffolding structures.

In the art to which the invention relates, in the erection of a tubular or like scaffolding structure, such a structure more usually consists of a series of uprights with connecting cross bars, and a structure so formed requires to be reinforced by diagonal and horizontal brace bars. Such brace bars are detachable and have to be secured to the uprights disengageable therefrom and locked against accidental displacement.

The present invention is concerned with an improved locking bracket to be attached to a scaffolding upright and to which brace bars may be attached and secured against being accidentally disengaged from the bracket. The device is designed for convenient engagement or disengagement from the bracket and permits of securing two brace bars to a common bracket.

In the drawings, wherein is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a section of scaffolding with which my locking bracket is used.

"FIG. 2 shows an enlarged perspective of a section of the scaffolding shown in FIGURE 1 and including my improved locking bracket.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the locking bracket shown in attachment to a scaffolding upright and to which a single brace bar has been engaged and secured, illustrated largely in vertical section and the disengagement position of the latch indicated in phantom.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the parts as shown in FIGURE 2, illustrating attachment of two brace bars to a common bracket.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the locking bracket shown with a single brace bar engaged on the bracket, and illustrating a different form of latch, the bracket and brace bar being shown in vertical section.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view, similar to the showing in FIGURE 5, but including a second brace bar engaged on the bracket, and with the brace bars shown in vertical section and the tubular body of the bracket vertically sectioned in part.

FIG. 7 is .a sectional view through the body of the latch taken on a line 77 of FIGURE 6.

Having reference to the drawings, in FIGURE 1 is shown a section of scaffolding that includes uprights 1, horizontal bars 2, and diagonal brace bars 3, these brace bars attaching to the uprights by my improved locking bracket.

For the locking bracket the uprights have welded thereto below the horizontal cross bars, or as required, tubular butt sections 4 to which tubular bodies 5 of the locking brackets are threadably engaged, as indicated at 6. These tubular bracket bodies each includes an opening 7 in the under side through which projects the nose 8 of a latch 9 that is mounted in the body of the bracket with a finger grip portion 10 projecting endwise therefrom. The latch is held by a spring 11 that has one end portion curved, as at 12, terminating in a hooked portion 13 bearing "ice against the one end of that portion of the bracket body forming the opening 7. The other end of the spring 11 engages a shoulder 14 in the latch, and the spring is tensioned to normally press the nose portion of the latch outward through the opening 7. This nose portion includes a catch portion 15, adapted, when a brace bar 3 is engaged on the body of the locking bracket, to prevent the bar slipping off. Such a brace bar, as shown in FIG- URE 2, more usually includes .a flattened end portion 16 with opening 17 to engage the body 5 of the locking bracket.

The locking bracket as herein disclosed is designed for engagement of one or two brace bars, the inner one of which may be engaged by the nose 8 of the latch and the outer one by the catch portion 15. While the device is specifically indicated as for use on a tubular scaffolding as shown in the drawings, this is intended as illustrative and not limitative, as the locking bracket is readily adaptable for other forms of scaffolding and for analogous uses where the engagement of a brace or other bar is required. It is to be understood also that while the locking bracket body 5 is mounted threadably engaged with the tubular butt section 4 the body'could be fixed directly to the upright.

In addition to the foregoing, it frequently occurs that a workman accidentally strikes the outer end of the latch with building material, or otherwise, with resulting damage to the spring, the head under pressure forcing the latch into the tubular body and breaking or distorting the spring. It is also desirable to shape the head of the latch so as to facilitate easy sliding engagement of the brace bars over the latch.

This difiiculty may be overcome by forming the latch as in the showing in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, in which a tubular body 18 is shown threaded in a butt 19, the tubular body having an outlet opening at 20 for projection of the nose 21 of a latch 22 that is held by a spring 23, as in the previous showings.

This latch is formed with a flat head 24 having sloping sides 25 terminating in a point 26 at the outer end. At the base of the head is formed a shoulder 27 on each side oversize of the bore 28 of the tubular body 18 and bearing against the outer end of said body, so that the latch under pressure on the head may not be driven inward. In addition brace bars, such as the bar 29 in FIGURE 5 and the bars 30 and 31 in FIGURE 6, may be more easily engaged over the head 24 of the latch and on to the tubular body 18 of the bracket.

The latch also includes a nipple 32 on the under side between the head and nose bearing against the tubular body outwardly of the opening therein and forming a bearing element or fulcrum on which the latch may pivot.

Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, What I claim and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a locking bracket having a tubular body attachable to a scaffolding upright, said body having a slot in the under side, a latch having one end forming a finger grip portion and the other end forming a nose, the looking bracket body having an open outer end through which the latch is freely insertable and removable and the nose portion of the latch being adapted for projection outwardly through the slot in the bracket body, and spring means normally holding the latch in the bracket body with the nose thereof projecting outward through the slot and the finger grip portion projecting outward through the open end of the body, said latch being adapted to have the nose portion thereof retracted within the bracket body by pressure on the finger grip portion.

2. In a locking bracket for use on a scaffolding upright for engagement of a brace bar, .a tubular body attachable to the upright laterally projecting therefrom, said body having an open outer end, a latch endwise insertable and removable from the tubular body, said latch having .a finger grip portion and a nose portion, the tubular body having a slot through which the nose portion of the latch is projectable and with the finger grip portion projecting outward through the open end of the tubular body, and spring means in the tubular body normally holding the latch with the nose portion thereof projecting outwardly of the tubular body, said latch being manually movable against the tension of said springby pressure on the finger grip portion thereof for retraction of the nose portion within the tubular body.

3. In a locking bracket having a tubular body attachable to a scaffolding upright, said body having a slot in the under side and an open outer end, said latch having one end forming a nose insertable in the tubular body and projectable through the slot therein, and the other end of said latch forming a head oversize of the tubular body, and spring means normally holding the latch in the bracket body with the nose thereof projecting outward through the slot and the latch being adapted to have the nose thereof retracted within the bracket body by pressure-on the head portion thereof.

4. A locking bracket as set out in claim 3 in which the projecting portion of the nose end of the latch has a notch forming a catch for engagement of a brace bar independently of the engagement of a brace bar by the nose end.

5. A locking bracket as set out in claim 3 in which the spring means comprises a spring formed of a strip of metal, the latch having a notch against which one end of the spring is engageable, and the other end of the spring comprising a curved portion bent back on itself and bearing against the inner side of the tubular bracket body.

6. A latch for a locking bracket as set out in claim 3 in which the head of the latch is formed with an annular shoulder bearing against the end of the tubular body when the latch is inserted therein, and said head has the sides thereof sloping inwardly outward.

7. A latch for a locking bracket as set out in claim 3 in.

which said latch includes a nipple on the underside bearing against the side of the tubular body and forming a bearing element on which the latch may pivot when pressure is applied on the head of the latch for retraction of the nose thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,810,612 Weisz Oct. 22, 1957 25 2,847,259 Beatty Aug. 12, 1958 2,961,259 Heapy Nov. 22, 1960 

1. IN A LOCKING BRACKET HAVING A TUBULAR BODY ATTACHABLE TO A SCAFFOLDING UPRIGHT, SAID BODY HAVING A SLOT IN THE UNDER SIDE, A LATCH HAVING ONE END FORMING A FINGER GRIP PORTION AND THE OTHER END FORMING A NOSE, THE LOCKING BRACKET BODY HAVING AN OPEN OUTER END THROUGH WHICH THE LATCH IS FREELY INSERTABLE AND REMOVABLE AND THE NOSE PORTION OF THE LATCH BEING ADAPTED FOR PROJECTION OUTWARDLY THROUGH THE SLOT IN THE BRACKET BODY, AND SPRING MEANS NORMALLY HOLDING THE LATCH IN THE BRACKET BODY WITH THE NOSE THEREOF PROJECTING OUTWARD THROUGH THE SLOT AND THE FINGER GRIP PORTION PROJECTING OUTWARD THROUGH THE OPEN END OF THE BODY, SAID LATCH BEING ADAPTED TO HAVE THE NOSE PORTION THEREOF RETRACTED WITHIN THE BRACKET BODY BY PRESSURE ON THE FINGER GRIP PORTION. 